Of those, 238 of the misses will be designed to launch from
submarines and the remainder from Navy ships like the Ticonderoga
class Arleigh
Burke class destroyer currently operating with the
5th Fleetbased in
Bahrain east of Iran.

These are the same missiles that started the Libyan Operation
Odyssey Dawn bombing campaign last March when 124 were
launched from Navy ships and subs against Qaddafi's missile
defense radars and anti-aircraft sites around Tripoli.

The U.S. could simply be renewing depleted reserves from that
mission, as well as others, or it could be planning ahead for a
specific attack. With work on the contract expected to be
completed in 2014, this particular batch wouldn't be used in any
immediate action, but could replenish reserves spent in any
upcoming airstrikes.

Taking out radar and aircraft defenses would be one step in an
Iranian attack. Another, equally as vital, would be determining
where
Tehran's fleet of submarines may be parked in the Persian
Gulf.

There are several ways of locating a sub accurately enough to
destroy it, and one of them is using the
ERAPSCO sonar buoy.

The buoys are a one-time-use asset that gets dropped into the
water to work with other buoys pinpointing underwater
objects. The Navy just ordered 17,000 of them under a $13
million contract days after the Tomahawk order. The buoys can be
used for research as well, but in the face of biting defense
cuts, it seems possible the Navy has something mission-focused
for them in mind. Their delivery is also expected in early 2014,
to potentially replenish supplies used before then.

Both of these acquisitions could be part of a standard ordering
cycle that we simply have no idea of, but in light of the
following developments we thought them worth mentioning.

On May 9 the U.S. House of Representatives passed
the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation
Act of 2012, which seeks to "reaffirm the commitment to
Israel's security as a Jewish state; provide Israel with the
military capabilities to defend itself by itself against any
threats... [and] expand military and civilian cooperation" among
other statements of U.S. policy.